Rival Schools Teach Brighton Music Hall How to Rock

Around the time of its release in 2001, United by Fate, the debut from supergroup Rival Schools, was my absolute favorite record; I couldn’t get enough of it! As the years went by, I was left waiting for the follow-up and subsequently my listening habits took me away from the group. A decade later, Rival Schools have finally released their sophomore record, Pedals. It is an excellent return to form and besides contributing new favorites to my rotation, it had me revisiting the excellence of United by Fate. When I heard that the band would be touring, I knew I had to catch their live show when they came to town on March 5 to play at Brighton Music Hall. I almost skipped the show since I didn’t have a ticket and I was kicking ass at pool next door at The Silhouette but I decided I would see if there were still tickets available at the door before their set. I could not be happier that I did. 

Grass is Green Rock Sidehatch and Release Chibimoon

On March 4th, I had the chance to catch Grass is Green when they performed at Sidehatch’s complex for a pre-SXSW party. The group was hot off their east coast tour and you could hear that they were now a road tested band. They played a tight set of tunes from their debut, Yeddo, which was one of my favorite releases of 2010, but the highlights came from watching them perform new songs from their recently released record, Chibimoon. Below is a video of the band performing "Ste 007" from Yeddo as well as a stream of Chibimoon. You can catch them at SXSW this year if you are lucky enough to be making the trek down to Austin, TX. God knows, I wish I were going...

Out from the Inbox: DOOMSTAR!, RIBS, The Devil Whale, and Eksi Ekso

I've largely ignored the inbox associated with this blog (sorry, bands and PR folk!). Today, I took the time to skim through what I have been sent thus far in 2011 and there is some excellent stuff that needs to be heard (and a lot of crap that I'm ignoring - sorry again, bands and PR folk!). Below are some up-and-coming bands that I think are worth giving a spin. The image above, which I find to be quite awesome, is the cover to Eksi Ekso's new album, Brown Shark, Red Lion.

Cave In Strip Down at Great Scott

Keeping with the theme of seeing my all-time favorite bands performing special sets, I had the extremely rare opportunity to watch Cave In play a stripped down set at Great Scott on February 10. They were a last minute, surprise addition to the Wino / Scott Kelly show but they definitely stole the spotlight for me. This was quite the treat since they played "The Calypso" and "Everest" from the Tides of Tomorrow EP. These are songs that I never thought I would see live since the band returned to their metal roots and never play material from that era, which is much more accessible. The delicate versions of the aforementioned songs sounded incredible and the group did an excellent job of creating a full and captivating sound with the minimal approach. The set was preceded by a short, three song set by frontman Steve Brodsky. He began with an impressive cover of Still Life's "Sometimes". He then played an excellent new song called "Muddy Jar" and a Willie Nelson cover before bringing the band on stage. Videos of the event are below.

The Dismemberment Plan Confront The Ice of Boston

I thought I would write a few words about some of my favorite concerts so far in 2011. The first one of significance is The Dismemberment Plan on January 28 at Paradise Rock Club. The Dismemberment Plan has long been a favorite of mine and I was not about to miss the rare opportunity to see them live on their reunion tour when it stopped in Boston. The show had long been sold out but I was determined to get tickets. This meant spending the entire week frantically searching for tickets on craigslist that fit my modest budget. It was tough going but I found someone that wasn’t trying to capitalize on the high demand and just wanted to sell the tickets to a fan for face value. I made the voyage to pick up the tickets mid day and gratefully exchanged the cash for tickets for myself and a friend. The anticipation for the show was almost unbearable for the rest of the day.

Remembering The White Stripes

The White Stripes broke up this month (Wednesday, Febuary 2) and I would be remiss if I didn't post anything about such a significant loss in the music world. It may have passed over the heads of some but The White Stripes have established themselves as one of the biggest bands in the world and a dominant creative voice in their 13+ years of existence. The band has release some of my all time favorite songs, music videos and albums. I especially have to mention White Blood Cells which was a pivotal album in the evolution of my musical tastes and still holds true as a modern classic. The White Stripes were a testament to the fact that a band can reach the mainstream and still remain innovative album after album. They were also a crucial element in bringing blues back to mainstream radio which is something we should all be thankful for. The announcement was made on Jack White's Third Man Records with a graceful statement which can be found below along with some of my favorite songs and videos.

New Track Rundown

It's been a long time since I did a new track rundown. There is way too much amazing music coming out right now to let it go any further. Below are my favorite songs and videos that have been floating around in February. There were a few big surprises like Poor But Sexy, a band that features Jason Caddell who is the guitarist of The Dismemberment Plan. The group has influences from 70s soul/R&B mixed in with a little P-funk, something not enough bands are doing these days. After much speculation, The Strokes finally released a new song and it definitely surpassed my expectations. J Mascis is already wowing me with his new track "Is It Done" off of Several Shades of Why; the cover of which is above. Also of great note, I can't get enough of the new Cold Cave song, "The Great Pan is Dead." Wes Eisold has come along way since his days with Give Up The Ghost [one of my favorite hardcore bands of all time which will always be known as American Nightmare to me] but he is still churning out some pretty fascinating and remarkable music. Everything can be heard below and I am also including dates for when you can catch the artists that are coming to Boston.

Radiohead Unleashes The King of Limbs Today

It seems improbable that I would be listening to a new Radiohead album today but, it is winding to a close as I finish this sentence. You can get The King of Limbs here or stream it below. At the present moment, I am absolutely in love with "Morning Mr. Magpipe" and "Lotus Flower." "Give Up the Ghost" also has me under its enchanting spell with its slow, dreamy progression. The album is on the short side and the syncopated beat found on closer "Separator" is guaranteed to leave you wanting more. I'm hoping Thom Yorke's haunting bellow of "If you think this is over, you're wrong" on the final track is a hint that there is more to come. That's probably just wishful thinking. The video for "Lotus Flower" can be found after the album stream. Fans of funky Thom Yorke dancing will be pleased. Enjoy!

2010 Year-End Report

It is now apparent that the inspiration I spoke about in my previous post was only to be had on that fateful Friday, as I did not follow up on my promise of show/record reviews to be posted. The truth is that blogging had turned out to be a much more exhausting and time-consuming endeavor than expected. It was hard to keep up while I was working fulltime and I put my priorities where they needed to be. Alas, this year has brought me a new challenge in that I have lost said job. Although I have scrapped the notes from the shows I had attended, I decided to give something to readers who have been asking me what has been on my playlist.

I have taken it upon myself to compile this monstrous recap of everything I had enjoyed in 2010 in order to present the artists who have made my year that much better. It was a daunting but fun task. It’s also interesting to compare it to my Mid-Year Report and see how my tastes had evolved throughout the year. The run-through includes a link to my favorite track from each of my top 40 albums as I count them down so you can indulge in the experience of each release. In this way, the top 40 album countdown also doubles as a Top 40 songs countdown as well. There is also a short write-up included with each one so you can get the full effect of why the album had such an impact on me. You don’t have to (and probably won’t) take it in all at once, but it is worth your time to go through this list and check out each artist so you don’t miss one that you’d enjoy if they came to your town.

I own almost every album on this list (just waiting to get a few on vinyl) and have seen most of these bands live. As always, I urge you to purchase anything that you have discovered here. There is plenty to take in and I tried to make it as interactive as I possibly could but you’re going to have to do some research if you want to check it all out (i.e. movies). A big part of why I thought this might be a fun project is feedback, so if there is something you like or anything you have to say about the post, do so in the comments! Everything is below starting with my Top 40 albums. Just hit play on the first track and it should play sequentially as you read. Enjoy!

I Don't Know Shit Mix

If you are reading this, it means you have probably enjoyed this blog in the past and have subsequently been disillusioned by my inconsistency. Well, you know what they say, bloggin' ain't easy. I was thinking about giving it up for awhile hence the lack of updates. Inspired by this post by a fellow Bostonian at Tongs and the article it linked to by none other than the great Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree), I found myself fully engulfed in the futility of being a music blogger. This coupled with mounting personal and work related issues, my notes on shows have been piling up and review requests have been left entirely unanswered.

Today, I am feeling a bit more inspired; although, I'm not quite sure why. It probably has something to do with my acknowledgment that this blog is probably the best use of my free time. Since, I have stopped writing, I find myself gawking at the television as a self-loathing punishment to my intellect. This definitely needs to stop so I am taking all my notes and turning around some show reviews. I will also have some record reviews up shortly as well.

In the meantime, I present the I Don't Know Shit mixtape. If Sharon Van Etten can admit "I don't know shit" in the showstopping, heart-wrenching opener "I Wish I Knew" from her 2009 album Because I Was in Love, I figure I can confess to a sympathetic feeling. Besides the aforementioned track, there are some real gems to be found here. "The Story of Hip-Hop" is a must-hear sound-collage/trip-hop mix that shows why The Books are one of the most brilliant groups of our time (more on their latest and possibly best album, The Way Out, to come...). I also can't get enough of Menomena and the very underrated new album, Transit Transit, by Autolux, who I will be posting a show review for in the very near future. I should probably apologize in advance for "I'm All Fucked on Beer". You know how those songs from the loudness war get... One more thing, buy these damn albums! The vinyl edition of The Books - The Way Out in particular is well worth your dollar. Below is the mix so stream/download and enjoy: